The Lobo Men’s soccer team had another tough loss in overtime to start out its conference home slate, losing 1-0 in 2OT to Kentucky. The loss moves the Lobos to 6-3-1 overall and 0-2-0 in conference play, desperately needing to gain back the momentum they had during their 5 match win streak. This loss is nowhere close to the end of the Lobos season, as they have plenty of matches left and still have time to improve their ranking and seeding come NCAA tournament time. Look for the Lobos to work on things to improve their first half attack.
Kentucky Match Recap:
In the Lobos first Conference USA home match of the year, the Lobos had another slow start to the first half, which continues to be a huge concern for this team going forward. UNM was outplayed in the first half, as Kentucky had an eight to two shot advantage and three corner kicks in the first half. The defense was able to hold, though, allowing the Lobos to hold off Kentucky from scoring in the first half and giving them a chance to make adjustments at halftime. These adjustments helped the team to play on even terms in the second half, with the shots being even at six apiece and the Lobos having the advantage on corners, four to two. It appeared that the match was going to end in a 0-0 draw, but with just over two minutes left in the 2nd OT, a broken play allowed Kentucky’s Stefan Stojkovic to slip a shot past Jason Beaulieu for the match ending goal, giving Kentucky the 1-0 victory in 2OT.
Up Next:
The Lobos will not play a midweek game this week, giving them time to get ready for their next match, where they head east to face #11 Old Dominion on Saturday in a big game for the Lobos to get back on track. If the Lobos are able to pull out the win it will be a huge boost to the team after dropping this last home match.
Aaron Herrera:
New Mexico will be without the services for the freshman defender, who was called up for the USA U-20 team that is playing in a tournament this weekend. Congratulations to Herrera for this huge honor! For the team in his absence, someone will have to step up to fill the spot that Herrera was playing if they are going to have success. I am confident that Coach Fishbein will find the right combinations while Herrera is off representing our country.